We Are One
by mysticgirl916
Summary: Will gives New Directions a duet assignment centered around the music of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest
1. We Write The Story

"Will, a package for you," Emma said as she handed her husband a packing envelope addressed to him and sat down on the couch next to him. Ever since New Directions had fought for their redemption and won the regional competition, he had been trying to come up with ideas for how to get the kids fired up for nationals – especially now with Brittany graduated early and Ryder having left the group, he needed something to bring them together.

"It must be the CD I ordered," he replied as he opened the envelope and retrieved the contents, he had ordered a CD online he had hoped would inspire him. The cover showed the image of a butterfly with multicolored wings on a blue background, and as he put the first disc on the stereo, Emma picked up the case while the first song started to play, slid out the book and flipped through it – it was the official album of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest.

"Some of these songs and artists look interesting," Emma said as Will sat back down. "I didn't know you had an interest in this kind of thing." It was true, his interest had developed a few years ago when he started watching old contest clips online, which then escalated to him watching the old contests in full. He watched the full final of the 2012 contest and enjoyed it, he felt it was a great way to discover new music even if he didn't understand some of the languages. Some of the songs could possibly translate well to glee club.

"It's like a glee club competition for a whole continent," he replied, "countries sending their best songs and artists and enjoying the experience. I bought this album in the hopes that it will get me inspired as I help get the kids ready for nationals, maybe they will be inspired too." As another song started to play, Emma put the CD case down on the table and began to speak.

"Maybe this can," she said. "Finn told me while you were away in Washington that they had done a superhero-themed duet assignment, it sounded like quite the success from what he said. I remember you saying to the kids many times that they're strongest when they are together, so why not do something like that? You could even use this music, with a group number at the end of the week to drive that message home." A light bulb popped on in Will's mind, Emma's idea sounded like a good one.

"I think you helped me find my inspiration, Em," he said to his wife. Let's keep listening."

* * *

The glee kids looked on with interest as Will wrote the words "TOGETHER WE'RE ONE" on the whiteboard. A couple of them looked curiously at the CDs they had found on their chairs when they arrived for their usual meeting – their teacher had ripped and burned ten copies of the album he had received, 20 blank discs in all. It had took him most of the weekend to make all those CDs, but it had been worth it.

"What's up with all this, Mr. Schue?" Sam asked as he looked at the cover of his CD.

"It's your assignment," Will replied. "Do you know why you took advantage of that second chance after the Warbler scandal and won regionals? Not just because you wanted it so badly, but you performed as a solid unit. Yes, you all have your individual strengths and talents, but you are at your best when you are together – that's New Directions' biggest asset when compared to some of the other teams out there. " Some of the kids were starting to get it, and Will continued explaining the assignment.

"The message 'Together We're One' that I wrote on the board was the concept of the Swiss representatives at this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden," he explained. "The CDs you have contain all the songs from the show, and as a warm-up for nationals I wanted to do an assignment using that music and really drive home the fact that together we are indeed one. Emma told me about the superhero-themed duet week you did with Finn while I was away, so for this assignment you are going to pair up and perform a song of your choice from the CDs. We'll do a big group number at the end of the week." He pulled out some sheet music from his bag, then opened a case on top of the piano as Marley raised her hand.

"I'm really liking the theme of this assignment," she said, "we all did come together to win regionals. I think we definitely need to pull together more than ever if we're going to do well at nationals." People around her agreed.

"Exactly, Marley," Will said with a nod, noticing the band at the ready, "so if you guys don't mind, I'd like to demonstrate exactly what I mean. Blaine, can you come and help me out with this one?" He gestured to the empty stool to his right and gave Blaine the sheet music when he came over, his left hand grasping the neck of his ukulele.

"So what do you want me to do, Mr. Schue?" he asked as he sat down on the stool.

"Start on the second part of the first verse," Will replied, "then join me on the chorus." Blaine nodded, and Will began to play.

_(Will) Whoah... oh...  
__Whoah... oh..._

_His name is Jeremy, working in IT  
__Never questions why he has always been  
__An extra careful guy, sensitive and shy  
__Risk assessment is his investment in a life of no surprise  
__Till she walked into his life_

The band joined in as Blaine began to sing.

_(Blaine) She, spontaneous indeed, uncertainty's her creed  
__She has always been neither black or white  
__Just a curious delight  
__She threw affection in his direction, a collection of her smiles  
__And to his surprise, whoah..._

_(Both) She's like tomorrow, oh so distant  
__She just wants to play  
__Like tomorrow, she is always one day away  
__All the time she slips away, it's close but yet so far  
__It's time to follow her tomorrow, whoah... oh...  
__Time to follow her tomorrow, whoah... oh..._

The kids started clapping along.

_(Blaine) He fell for her too fast, we all thought it wouldn't last  
__'Cause good ol' Jeremy likes his rigorous routine  
__(Will) 'Cause he only thinks today but tomorrow is her way  
__So find a new direction and you will be okay_

_(Both) She's like tomorrow, oh so distant  
__She just wants to play  
__Like tomorrow, she is always one day away  
__All the time she slips away, it's close but yet so far  
__It's time to follow her tomorrow, oh... oh..._

_(Will) Time to follow her tomorrow, oh... oh...  
__(Blaine) Time to follow her tomorrow, oh... oh...  
__(Both)Time to follow her tomorrow, oh... oh..._

_(Both) She's like tomorrow, oh so distant, she just wants to play  
__Like tomorrow, she is always one day away  
__(Will)One day away (Blaine)(One day away)  
__(Will) One day away (Blaine) (One day away)_

_(Both)And all the time she slips away, it's close but yet so far  
__(Will) It's time to follow her tomorrow (Oh... oh...)  
__(Blaine) It's time to follow her tomorrow (Oh... oh...)  
__(Both) It's time to follow her tomorrow_

The room erupted into cheers and applause as Will and Blaine high-fived each other, obviously pleased with the demonstration they had just given. Will couldn't wait to see what the kids came up with.

* * *

**Notes: **I just had to do another fic with Eurovision songs, and this year's contest had so many good songs. The Will and Blaine duet was inspired by the video of Darren jamming with Matt during Matt's tour rehearsals back in 2011.

Song is "Tomorrow" by Gianluca Bezzina (Malta)


	2. We Can Be Glorious

Tina pulled out some books that she needed for her next couple of classes, then gazed longingly at the picture that was attached to her locker door – a picture of her and the original New Directions taken after they had won their first sectionals. She was now entering the final stretch of her high school career so that picture meant a great deal to her, in the four years that the glee club had been in existence she and Artie were the only ones who didn't quit, wasn't kicked out or jumped ship to another choir, which showed her loyalty and dedication to the team after all this time.

And she and Artie were all that remained of not only the first twelve, but of the original six. Both would be graduating at the end of the year along with Sam and Blaine so she really wanted to end her time at McKinley with a bang – by helping the group win a second national championship. So she hoped that the Eurovision duet assignment Mr. Schue had set them would help.

"Hey girl," said a familiar voice as Tina closed her locker, it belonged to Unique. "I wanted to talk to you about the glee club assignment, did you get a chance to listen to all the songs on your CD yet?" Tina nodded, she listened to the whole thing after coming home from glee practice and she enjoyed most of the songs. The Asian girl had really come to like Unique, she was funny and had a killer voice, so she was glad that the transgender student had found a place within New Directions, unlike what she had heard about life at Carmel. At McKinley, Unique Adams felt at home, in a place where she truly belonged and could be herself.

"I thought… maybe we could pair up and do something together," Tina suggested.

"Honey, Unique would be honored," Unique replied with a smile. "And I think I have the perfect song from that CD for us to do. Meet me back in the hallway before lunch, okay?" The warning bell rang to signal that the next period was about to begin, and the two went off in opposite directions towards their classes.

* * *

It was a good thing that Tina and Unique had the same lunch period. They had met in the hallway by Tina's locker as planned, and Unique hurried her into the girls' bathroom to get ready for their duet while listening to the song they were going to do on Unique's iPhone. Who knew that thirty-nine different countries across Europe could bring together such a diverse range of music like this? And if Mr. Schue thought that it could possibly help bring the team together before nationals, then Tina was all for it – discovering new music over the last four years had been quite interesting.

"Do you think we can pull this off?" Tina asked as she changed in one of the bathroom stalls.

"Unique knows so," Unique replied as she applied some lipstick while looking at herself in the mirror after adjusting the short dark wig on her head. "Remember the diva assignment a couple of months ago? You rocked that Madonna song and won the whole week – you _are_ a diva, girl! On top of that, you're about to take the next step in your life. Feel confident about yourself, think about how far you've come. But most importantly, be glorious like the song we're doing!" At that moment, Tina came out of the stall wearing a black jacket over a gold sequined tank top and a black skirt, with black combat boots on her feet.

"How do I look?" Tina asked.

"Like a diva," Unique replied. "Come on girl, let's show everyone how confident you can be!" The two stepped out of the girls' room and started down the hallway towards the outdoor courtyard as music began to play, not noticing the students passing by them.

_(Tina) Do you know it's time to let yourself go?  
__Why don't we just let it show?  
__Tell me what you're waiting for_

_(Unique) 'Cause I, I wanna live before I die  
__Crash and burn and lose my mind  
__We can set the world on fire_

They stood at the top of the courtyard steps as they went into the chorus, heads turning towards them from the tables below.

_(Both) Tonight we can be glorious  
__We are young at heart and we're free  
__The world is ours, I can feel the music in me  
__Glorious, found a love that eyes cannot see  
__Delirious, hoo whoa... whoa..._

_(Unique) I believe the little child inside of me  
__Can rebuild my destiny  
__And one day I'll be breaking free_

_(Tina) Now's the time, we're running at the speed of light  
__I'll meet you on the other side  
__Every time I close my eyes_

From below, their friends in the glee club cheered them on, seeing some other students and a few Cheerios join them on the steps in an energetic dance. Even Will and Emma took notice while sitting at a table nearby, looking clearly impressed.

_(Both) Tonight we can be glorious  
__We are young at heart and we're free  
__The world is ours, I can feel the music in me  
__Glorious, found a love that eyes cannot see  
__Delirious, (Unique) I can feel the music in me_

"That can't be the same Tina I've had in New Directions ever since she was a freshman," Will said in awe. When she started in glee club, she had been rather shy. And now four years later, he had seen her evolve and blossom into a confident performer

"You should have seen her during the diva assignment I gave the kids while you were gone," Emma replied, "she nailed it." Getting up from their table, they joined the other kids.

_(Glorious) (Tina) Found a love that eyes cannot see  
__(Glorious)_

_(Both) (We are glo... oh oh... oh oh oh...)  
__(We are glo... oh oh... oh oh oh...)  
__(We are glo... oh oh... oh oh oh...)  
__(We are glo... oh oh... oh oh oh...)_

"Go Tina!" Jake called out.

"Rock it, Unique!" Artie shouted. The dancing around Tina and Unique intensified as they went into the final chorus.

_Tonight we can be glorious  
__We are young at heart and we're free  
__The world is ours, I can feel the music in me  
__Glorious, found a love that eyes cannot see  
__Delirious, hoo whoa... whoa..._

The entire courtyard cheered wildly when the song ended, the rest of the glee club mobbing both of them. No matter what Tina decided to do after graduation, she was now going to do it with more confidence than ever.

* * *

**Notes: **Song is "Glorious" by Cascada (Germany)


	3. The Whole World Is Mine

Marley headed down the hallway towards the library for her study period. The Eurovision assignment had been most enjoyable so far, she listened to her copy of the CD while she studied and she loved the duets that had been performed as well – Blaine and Mr. Schue's demonstration song had a very laid-back feel while Tina and Unique's courtyard performance during lunch the other day was exciting and very energetic. She was feeling good, her original song helped New Directions win regionals and now this duet assignment was helping to bring the team together in preparation for nationals.

_Almost everyone, _she thought as she saw Ryder up ahead taking stuff out of his locker. Ever since the catfishing incident, he had been distancing himself from a lot of people and had quit glee after regionals. Marley missed his talent, she knew that it had been Finn who scouted him for the _Grease _musical and successfully recruited him into the club. If there was only some way to convince him to come back.

"Ryder, wait up," she said as she rushed over to his side. He closed his locker.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" he asked.

"It's my study period," Marley replied, "I was on my way to the library, then I saw you at your locker. Is everything all right with you? Quite a few people are worried about you."

"Who could be worried about me?" Ryder said, a dry tone to his voice. "I quit glee for a reason, Unique betrayed me. I can't be in the same group or room with the person who catfished me!"

"Unique did it because she wanted to get closer to you," said Marley. "She liked you a lot. During the feud assignment, you didn't recognize the fact that she associates herself with being a girl, like the rest of us do. So she did what she had to do to get closer to you."

"She still betrayed me," he said bluntly. "I'm not coming back to glee club, end of story!" Gathering up all her courage, Marley gave it one more try.

"Do you know why Finn recruited you for the school musical, which led to you joining glee club?" she asked. "Because he saw potential in you, just like Mr. Schue saw potential in Finn. You have so much talent, and you're letting it go to waste. You helped me get through a tough time in my life as well. You're not only letting us down, you're letting the very first person to truly believe in your talent down. Please think about coming back, okay?" She walked away towards the library, leaving a silent Ryder standing by locker, obviously lost in thought.

And somewhere around the corner out of sight, Kitty Wilde was smiling.

* * *

Later that day, Marley headed to the choir room for glee, wondering if Ryder was thinking about what she had said to him. As she turned the doorknob, she heard Kitty's voice call her name as the Cheerio caught up with her.

"Hey Marley," said Kitty. "I wanted to tell you before we go in, I heard everything you said to Ryder about glee and the whole catfish thing. Gotta say, you really had guts to go for it. I'm proud of you."

"You, proud of me?" Marley asked. "After everything you did to me earlier in the year?"

"I confessed everything during the lockdown, remember?" Kitty replied. "I really am sorry about what happened. You totally redeemed yourself at regionals, your original song was what helped us win."

"It was a team effort," said Marley, "we all did our part. I do hope that Ryder comes back in time for nationals, we really need him. I also hope that we get someone to fill Brittany's place."

"Me too," said Kitty. "Hey, I also wanted to talk to you about this duet assignment. Remember our superhero duet? I did a little search online and learned that Bonnie Tyler, whose song we covered, represented the UK at Eurovision this year. So then, I listened to the CD that Mr. Schue gave us, and I heard this really hot song from Norway – I thought we could both do it."

"It sounds interesting," said Marley.

"Believe me, if Jake is already crazy for you," added Kitty, "he'll be even crazier for you by the time the song is over. Come on, it's time for Femme Fatale and Woman Fierce to be unleashed again!" As the two girls stepped into the room, electronic music started to play and the girls launched into their song.

_(Kitty) A cocoon in a silent tree  
__Through the dark night you listen to me  
__When I whisper broken words in your ear_

_(Marley) And you push, you push me hard to the surface  
__I'm blinded at heart, but you wake me  
__You wake me up from the snow where I was born_

The scene then changed to the auditorium, where the two girls now stood on stage in slinky dresses (Marley in white, Kitty in black) against a surreal background, Will and the rest of the club in the audience rocking out to the music.

_(Both) Now I can see  
__The whole world is mine  
__I can touch and feel  
__I feed you my love_

_(Kitty) You put a knife against my back  
__And you dare me to face the attack  
__You say for cowards, there's no reward  
__Feel the heat_

_(Marley) Oh... take my hand, I trust your word  
__Bring the fire, I don't care if it hurts  
__I have the future on my tongue  
__Give me a kiss_

Marley blew a quick kiss to Jake before joining Kitty on the second chorus.

_(Both) Now I can see  
__The whole world is mine  
__I can touch and feel  
__So I feed you my love_

_(Kitty) You put a knife against my back  
__And you dare me to face the attack_

_(Marley) You say for cowards, there's no reward  
__I have the future on my tongue_

_(Both) Now I can see (Marley) whoa…  
__The whole world is mine  
__I can touch and feel (Kitty) mmh yeah...  
__So I feed you my love  
__Feed you my love  
__So I feed you my love_

The rest of the group went wild with applause at the end of the song as Marley put her arm around Kitty's shoulder and the two girls smiled at their teammates.

"Wow, that was amazing!" Will exclaimed.

"Absolutely fierce beyond belief!" added Jake, feeling proud of his girlfriend.

"Told ya it was a hot song," Kitty said to Marley with a wink. And Marley knew she was right.

* * *

**Notes: **Song is "I Feed You My Love" by Margaret Berger (Norway)


	4. We're Together, You And Me

Ryder wandered down the halls with a lot obviously on his mind. He was on his free period, so at least he didn't have to worry about being late for class. What was bugging him was everything that Marley said to him a couple of days ago, was it really true that Mr. Schue discovered Finn's talent, just like Finn had discovered him? Marley had actually been right about something, he had been distancing himself from his friends in glee ever since he quit the club over the catfish incident and he actually felt alone. Since he joined the club, he had been surrounded by people he came to call friends and enjoyed expressing himself through music.

"_You're not only letting us down, you're letting the very first person to truly believe in your talent down."_ Marley had said to him.

He turned the corner and heard music coming out of one of the classrooms down the hall, if his sense of direction was correct, he was nearing the choir room because the music was getting louder the closer he got – maybe he could sit somewhere and do some thinking. As he opened the door and started to step inside, he saw Will sitting in a chair playing a song he didn't recognize on a guitar, and the words "TOGETHER WE'RE ONE" written on the blackboard. The music stopped as Will turned to see the lone student in the room.

"Hey Ryder," he said with a smile, his right hand resting on the top of his instrument.

"Sorry to disrupt your playing, Mr. Schue," Ryder said, "but I was wondering if I could talk to you about something." Will was still Ryder's history teacher, and of course it was always a good idea to go talk to a teacher when something was on a student's mind.

"Of course," Will said, "pull up a chair." Ryder picked up a chair and set it near his teacher. "So, what's on your mind?"

"I think…" Ryder said, "I made a mistake of quitting the glee club after regionals. You see, I ran into Marley a couple of days ago and she reminded me of how Finn was the one who had recruited me for the musical which led me to join glee because he thought I had talent. Is it true that you were the one to discover Finn just like he discovered me?"

"It's true," Will said with a nod, "I needed a leader, someone who can bring people together to form a strong club. And when I heard Finn sing that first time, I knew he was the right person for the group. Did you know Finn also brought Sam into the club? He's come a long way, and now he's about to graduate. You have no idea just how much glee changes people's lives – even mine when I was a student a long time ago."

"But what about Unique?" Ryder asked. "Marley says she only catfished me because she wanted to get closer to me."

"Marley is absolutely right," said Will. "Glee club is about being part of a group where you can't be judged on who you are and where you can fit in and be a part of something special. I think you owe it to yourself to apologize to Unique, she likes you and respects you as a friend. We all do – the lockdown proved how close we really are.

"And besides," he continued, "with Blaine, Sam, Artie and Tina graduating at the end of the year, we're going to need someone to step up and help lead the next generation of New Directions. I think you could be that person Ryder, Finn believed in you just as much as I do." Ryder thought about what Will had said, then took a glance at the words on the whiteboard:

TOGETHER WE'RE ONE

"I'm convinced," he said, "I will definitely come back – you're going to need some extra voices for nationals." Will smiled. "On one condition, Mr. Schue."

"What's that?" Will asked.

"Could you play that song you were playing when I walked in?" Ryder suggested. "It sounded really good." Smiling again, Will began to play.

* * *

"So you managed to convince Ryder to come back to glee?" Emma asked as she, Will and Shannon had lunch together in the staff lounge. "I thought he left after regionals over that whole catfish thing you told me about. I wonder how you did it."

"Come on, Will, spill it out," added Shannon. "You know as well as I do that your glee boys on the football team have benefited greatly from being in the club."

"I simply told him about how I discovered Finn just as he discovered Ryder," Will explained. "And with four more graduating at the end of the year, I could see someone like him being a leader for the next generation of the group. Unique did what she did because she wanted to get closer to him, she wanted him to see what the rest of us see – that we recognize her as a girl."

"I certainly hope those two work things out," said Emma. "If you want to win nationals, the entire group needs to be united."

"Which is why you inspired the assignment," Will said with a smile to his wife.

"Ryder's a good kid," said Shannon. "I see his confidence on the football field, and it's because you and Finn helped it to grow, Will." Both Emma and Will agreed.

"Em, I need you to come to glee with me today," said Will. "We have this great group number planned, and I would like you to be part of it with us."

"I'd love to," Emma replied.

* * *

"So guys," said Will as he, Emma and the glee club met in the choir room after school, "what things did we take away from this assignment?"

"Like you said in the beginning," said Tina, "we all have our individual strengths and talents, but when we are united as a group there's nothing we can't accomplish."

"Yeah," added Artie. "Four years ago, we were just a group of misfits and underdogs who people thought wouldn't amount to anything. We've gotten a lot stronger since then."

"Together, we are going to give it our all at nationals, no doubt!" Jake exclaimed, resulting in cheers from the rest of the group.

"And I've learned that we help each other when we need it," said Ryder, giving a small smile to Marley and a nod to Unique. "After everything that this group has gotten through over the course of this year, it's going to continue to be that way. Like the message on the board says, together we're one!"

"That's the spirit," Will said. "Now, let's do that group song we were practicing, Emma and I will meet you at the auditorium." The two adults headed out of the room. Ryder turned to Unique.

"Unique, do you think we can talk about that whole catfish thing?" he asked. "I want to apologize for being so rude to you."

"Apology accepted, hon," said Unique, "and sure we can talk. Come on everyone, let's rock!" The kids cheered as they exited the choir room and headed down the hall towards the auditorium together as they started to cheer.

_(ND) Hey! x3_

Down another hallway, Will and Emma walked together and Will began to sing.

_(Will) When the times are getting rough  
__Gold and silver turn to dust  
__People build their barricades  
__Out of jealousy and hate_

_(Will/Emma) But there's one thing they could never  
__Never ever separate_

In the auditorium, the kids walked down one aisle and the adults another, all singing as they headed towards the stage.

_(All) Ah... let it hear from near and far  
__This is how it's meant to be  
__We're together, you and me  
__Ah... nothing can tear us apart  
__Sailing on a stormy sea  
__We're together, you and me_

Reaching the stage, they all stood in groups enjoying the rhythm of the song.

_(ND) Hey! x2_

_(Marley) We build castles with our hands  
__On a solid ground they stand  
__(Marley/Jake) They're our shelter from the storm  
__Keep us safe and keep us warm  
__(Tina/Blaine) No, there's nothing that can hurt us  
__Whatever there may come_

_(All) Ah... let it hear from near and far  
__This is how it's meant to be  
__We're together, you and me  
__Ah... nothing can tear us apart  
__Sailing on a stormy sea  
__We're together, you and me_

_(Kitty/Sam/Ryder) Time is flowing to the sea  
__But it's still you and me_

_(Artie/Unique) Nothing's like it used to be  
__But we're here, you and me_

_(Will/Emma) Ah... _

_(All) Let it hear from near and far  
__This is how it's meant to be  
__We're together, you and me  
__Ah... nothing can tear us apart  
__Sailing on a stormy sea  
__We're together, you and me  
__Ah, nothing can tear us apart  
__Sailing on a stormy sea_

_(Will) We're together, you and me_

When the song ended, the entire group cheered, high-fived and hugged each other. Tina was right: when New Directions was united, there was nothing they couldn't accomplish. And whatever happened at nationals, they would all take on the challenge together.

* * *

**Notes: **Song is "You And Me" by Takasa (Switzerland)


End file.
